We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Follicle-Stimulating Hormone?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 7,969
Share

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a hormone produced in the bodies of many male and female mammals that helps to stimulate the process of creating sperm or of ovulating (producing female eggs). FSH is also a drug, sold under names like Follistim®, that is used in some fertility treatments of women to induce ovulation of more than one egg at a time for egg harvesting or artificial insemination. It can also be used to stimulate sperm production in some men. Presence of this hormone, along with others, is vital to the process of reproduction.

Another name for follicle-stimulating hormone is gonadotropin. This name is deserved due to the special relationship FSH has with the testes and the ovaries. Without this relationship or some form of medical treatment that mimics it, people and most mammals can’t reproduce. Though the effects of FSH are seen primarily in its action on the gonads, it has to be understood that the path to creating FSH begins elsewhere, in the endocrine system.

In order for follicle-stimulating hormone to be produced, gonadotropin-releasing hormone is produced first in the hypothalamus. This helps to stimulate production of both FSH and luteinizing hormone (LH), which each play a role in the reproductive cycle and are principally produced in the pituitary gland. Additional hormones that help round out this process are estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

During the normal reproductive years, FSH and LH work together in the female body to mature eggs and produce ovulation and in the male body to produce sperm. In women, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone begins to decline with age, so that as menopause is reached, FSH levels become increasingly lower, making it more difficult to achieve pregnancy. Males may retain decent FSH levels to a much older age and can technically remain fertile longer than women.

Sometimes, follicle-stimulating hormone levels drop well below normal long before menopause is reached in women, or long before fertility in men could be expected to decline. For this reason, injecting FSH might be recommended to help stimulate and produce ovulation or to increase sperm production. Decision to do this is only if the testes or ovaries are capable of producing sperm or eggs, respectively. If more than one fertility hormone is lacking, using FSH alone doesn’t resolve the problem. FSH couldn’t, for instance, restart normal menstrual in most post-menopausal women.

High or low follicle-stimulating hormone levels can be associated with a number of medical conditions. People with polycystic ovarian syndrome, abnormally high prolactin levels in the blood, or decreased pituitary or hypothalamus function may have low FSH levels. Those with Turner syndrome, and lack of gonads (Swyer syndrome), or people undergoing premature menopause may have very high FSH levels, in contrast. Both high and low findings of FSH during normal reproductive years require medical evaluation, particularly if reproduction is a goal.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a WiseGeek contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-follicle-stimulating-hormone.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.